Childhood Memories
by wolfYLady-sama
Summary: Yusuke can't help but think back to his childhood friend, and out of nowhere, she appears once more. They've changed but not that much, after all, they both have been living a life full of demons and saving the world. Will he help her now, in her time of need?
1. A Story Begins

**Childhood Memories**

 ** _Disclaimer_** I, **wolfYLady** , own nothing as I am nothing more than a humble writer whose entertainment comes from manipulating fictional characters. The anime/manga: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho, belongs to its respective owners and creators. Again I own nothing! Long live FANFICTION!

 **Summary:** Yusuke can't help but think back to his childhood friend, and out of nowhere she appears once more. They've changed but not that much.

 **Pairing:** ** _Kagome Yusuke_**

 **Enjoy!**

 _Ruffled leaves mix with budding laughter as two children run around the small playground, weaving in and out of the brightly colored play-equipment; playing a game without any name till they came to sit at the swings._

" _We'll be friends forever right?" The boy asked, doe eyes pleading towards his only friend. Her raven hair fell to her shoulders is big waves, her sapphire eyes smiling back at him._

" _Of course," she grinned locking pinkies with the boy. "Forever and ever,"_

Brown eyes opened slowly to look at the white ceiling staring back at him.

' _I dreamt about her again,'_

Rolling away from the sun entering the room, he sat on the edge of his bed staring at nothing in particular as he lost himself in thought. A hand running through his bangs in a flustered manner.

' _I've been dreaming about her for months it feels like,_ ' he sighed thinking of the little girl from his childhood. He could still picture her with absolute clarity as if he were still a child free to play with her at the park.

" _Kagome! Kagome!" children circled a girl dressed in pink much to her clear dismay as they played the game, chanting as they continued._

 _Yusuke watched from the swing, kicking his feet in the dirt._

 _The other parents didn't like him, he heard their remarks but never really understanding why. Why did they call him and his mother names? They used words he didn't understand, like; whore, harlot, and heathen, whatever their meaning he knew they weren't nice._

 _Standing, he made his way to the circle, brows together in what looked too cute to be a scowl. The kids paid him no mind as they taunted the girl with words of freak and weirdo thrown in._

 _Grabbing a pair of locked hands the kids were forced to stop as the chain was broken, all forced to look at the boy their parents told them to stay away from._

" _Leave her alone!" He growled, and they jumped before running away with a shriek or cry of "_ ** _monster_** _." He didn't care what they called him; he didn't like having to see someone else being picked on._

" _Thank you!" Arms wrapped around him forcing pink to his cheeks._

 _He didn't know what to say, none of the kids liked him so he had limited interactions with anyone besides his mom and she was often sleeping or "sick" as she often said._

 _Pulling back, but still hugging him, sapphire eyes smiled just as she did. "My name's Kagome, what's yours?"_

" _Yu-Yusuke," he stuttered._

" _Wanna play?"_

" _Are you sure? All the other kids think I'm a monster," he pouted._

 _She shook her head, the waves of black hair bouncing around her. "You have too pretty of a soul,"_

 _Pink cheeks burned red. "Boys aren't pretty!" He huffed._

 _She simply laughed._

"Kagome," he whispered into the quiet room. They had played every day at the same park, she had become his best, and only, friend. And he was sure she would have remained such if they hadn't moved so abruptly. It still hurt to picture her waiting there for him, and him never coming.

*~*o*~*o*~*o*~*o*~*

Little did he know that's exactly what she'd done.

Dressing in pink standing at the edge of the park, sapphire eyes searching, always searching, for the brown haired boy with the big doe brown eyes. Switching from standing to sitting she didn't dare play on the equipment determined to wait for her friend. Even when asked, or encouraged, by her mother Kagome remained waiting.

Every day she asked to go, and when her mother questioned it, she all but screamed that she had to be there. She was fiercely loyal to the boy, her unwavering devotion to him was sad for anyone to witness, but no one suffered as she did. The bullies were horrid but she endured, the lack of play she could withstand as none of the other kids were as funny, but it was the loneliness that ate away at her small heart.

Days rolled into weeks before nearly two months had passed before she cried for her absent friend. Wherever he was, it wasn't with her, but she held out hope he'd make his way back to her. They had made a promise to be friends forever. And he wasn't one to break a promise, even if she had to wait a year, or years, she held on to the hope that he would come back to her, that he would forever be her dearest friend.

*~*o*~*o*~*o*~*o*~*

Yusuke walked, hands in his pockets as he made his way down the worn sidewalk. Even after moving back to the area, because of the fire that had nearly killed him (again) and burnt their previous apartment to oblivion, it had taken him more than a year to explore the once familiar area. And maybe it was because he felt guilty, or better yet, scared that he'd come face to face with Kagome. She, after all, had lived in the area and very well might still live nearby.

Making his way up the stone steps a familiar sight greeted him. Brightly colored play equipment stood empty in the middle of a human-made clearing. He stopped merely looking as he remembered.

Phantoms danced in the back of his mind, almost able to visualize the girl and himself playing on the equipment. Looking at the swings a sad smile pulled at his lips; he could picture her smiling face as she asked him to push her higher and higher, her hands outstretched to the sky. The swings were her favorite, they, of course, were typically taken by the other kids, so the time they spent was usually limited, but her smile was worth the wait.

So lost in memories Yusuke jumped when he felt a mix of rekai and youki heading towards him.


	2. Chance Encounter

**Chapter 2**

' _Why me_?' Kagome grumbled to herself. Chancing a glance backward, she was greeted by the shriek-worthy sight of a giant demon. Green and black skin encased a powerful frame of muscles, clawed appendages digging into the ground while glowing red eyes stared hungrily at her intent on killing her and taking the jewel. ' _As soon as I'm through the well I'm attacked! Why'd I have to drop my bow in the past!?'_

A scream was building in her throat, wanting to call for her protector who was now stuck 500 years in the past. Tears stung her eyes; he would never come for her again, the jewel was complete and the well sealed. Three minutes back into her time and she was going to be eaten!

The trees separated to show a park, making a sharp turn once out of the tree line Kagome nearly tripped. Catching herself with a hand and pushing off once more she pushed herself to go faster. Catching sight of a young man she cursed hearing the trees crack behind her.

"Get out of here!" She screamed, she rather not bring people into her mess.

Grabbing for his hand, she had every intention of dragging him away, but instead, he pulled.

Pulling her to his chest, his arm wrapping firmly around her waist, he aimed with his finger.

The demon barreling towards they rawred, showing rows of sharp fangs, but was none the wiser of the enemy he had picked. All the beast could focus on was feasting on the girl's delectable flesh and taking the powerful pink orb that dangled from her slender throat.

Pushing energy into his finger rekai gathered in a swirl of blue, in a second, it leaped from his finger growing triple in size before making contact with the demon. The rekai beam incinerating the demon's head right from its shoulders. Falling forward it skid to a stop three feet in front of them.

Sapphire eyes blinked several times, still trying to understand what had just happened. Had she just been saved?

Looking up, she looked back into warm chocolate brown eyes. Everything about this boy, no man, screamed that she knew him, even his soul reached for hers, it was beautiful and pure- in it's own way.

"Th-thank you," she panted lightly, still trying to catch her breath.

Brown eyes widened before his arm fell and he stepped away, a hue of pink coloring the bridge of his nose.

Looking down at herself, she had to blush as well, hands coming up to cover the exposed skin of her chest. When she'd initially been attacked she had barely escaped the demon's claws, seems her blouse wasn't as lucky as the white lace of her bra was visible.

"Here," not looking at her he had thrust his jacket in her face.

"Thank you- again," she said softly, pulling the jacket on before zipping it up.

"Where do you live? I'll walk ya home," he sighed.

Her mouth opened and then closed, her lips pursed in a sad line. "I can't go back; it's not safe. They'll just keep coming," tears blurred her vision. She couldn't put her family in danger like that when she couldn't protect them.

"Hn, then I guess you're coming with me,"

Looking up she was once more greeted by warm brown eyes that looked so familiar, bringing forth a mix of happiness and sadness. He was strong in power and stature, lean muscles making up his taller frame. Black hair was slick back making it impossible for her not to stare at his handsome face. Dressed in fitted jeans and a muscle shirt, Kagome blushed at the peak of his defined chest she received.

Then she realized what he'd said, anger rising at being told she would be going with this stranger. Sure he'd saved her, and given his jacket, but that didn't give him the right to just tell her what she'd do.

"Says who?" She growled.

Brown eyes narrowed, using his thumb to point as emphasis. "Me, that's who. It'd be hard to protect ya if you're not with me,"

Again blush rose to her face. "Who said I needed protecting,"

His unamused face and raised eyebrow was her answer. Looking away she huffed angrily. Who was this guy?

"Come on," he grabbed her hand, proceeding to drag her away from the park.

Frantic eyes looked back at the demon. "We're just going to leave it there?"

"Nah, Koenma will take care of it, but right now I need to get you out of danger. I can feel dozens of demons making their way here,"

Fear strikes her to her core. Kagome couldn't feel anything; she completely helpless. Giving up on fighting him Kagome squeezed the hand grabbing hers.

"Why are you helping me?"

He paused in step, brown eyes finding hers. "You don't know who I am?"

She shook her head.

"Name's Yusuke, besides taking care of rogue demons is kind of my job," he then continued pulling forth a phone from his pocket.

Sapphire eyes widened another string of tears threatening to fall. Kagome fell silent knowing now was not the time to talk about _their_ past. It wasn't much of a past, but he had been the most precious person from her childhood. One day he had been there and the next she was alone; waiting, and he had never come back to her. It had taken years to come to terms with that, her heart breaking for the first time when she gave up on waiting. The boy from her memories had been her first true friend, her best friend, her first crush, and first love.

"Yo Botan, I need ya here!" Yusuke said into the phone.

" _I can't just drop everything Yusuke! You should know as Guide I have people that-"_

"Botan!" He yelled. "I got a girl here being attacked by demons, we need to figure out why, and a body that needs taken care of,"

" _Oh well, I guess that is important. I'll meet you at Kuwabara's,"_ the call ended there.

Gripping the sphere hanging from her neck, Kagome debated telling him the truth. Sure he had been her childhood friend and had now saved her, but that didn't mean she should blindly trust him.

"Where are we going?"

"A friends' he can help protect you while we figure out what to do. The last thing I want to do is take you to Reikai,"

' _Reikai?'_

They continued walking until they came to a duplex, walking through the unlocked door Kagome hesitantly followed behind. Everything about this scenario telling her to run, from a young age, girls were told three things.

 **1\. Avoid _creepy_ men in white vans.**

 **2\. Don't go with a stranger- especially into an unfamiliar area without telling someone.**

 **3\. Trust your instinct!**

And right now she was battling with her instincts. Logic said to run and hide, but she oddly trusted him: to a point. If in danger she could hope to shock him and run but even then it wasn't a good plan. She was at their mercy, and like so many times before Kagome wished she could be stronger.

"Urameshi? What are you doing here~" his voice trailing off in a higher octave showing his surprise. Standing nervously in the doorway stood one of the prettiest girls Kazuma had seen, right next to Yukina. Tangled raven colored hair fell in waves around a pale face with pink lips and downcast sapphire eyes. Dirt mixed with smears of blood marking parts of her face and exposed legs. An overly large blue sweatshirt hung down to her thighs, the left sleeve accumulating blood, a green skirt partly visible allowing him to see cuts and bruises as well as her bleeding knees.

"Hi there," he grinned. "My names Kazuma Kuwabara, but you can call me Kuwabara," Kagome stared with wide, fearful eyes at the large male that towered over her. Combed orange hair topped his head making small gray eyes noticeable. A simple shirt and pants did little to hide big muscles and a wide chest.

Going to stand up Yusuke rough pushed him back into his seat. "Leave her alone,"

"What's going on here?" Shizuru asked loudly causing the girl to jump, her arms tightening around herself. The older woman was half a head taller than herself with light brown hair with orange undertones and bored gray eyes. A cigarette hanging from her lip as she spoke.

Looking at the girl she growled. "You idiots, the girls scared and hurt. Come on hun we'll get you fixed up," grabbing the girl by the elbow she leads her out of the room.

With Kagome gone Yusuke plop onto the bed with a heavy sigh.

Before anything could be said a portal opened the black circle still startling Kuwabara, and out stepped Botan. Coral blue hair pulled back in her signature high ponytail with her bangs falling to her otherworldly violet eyes. Instead of the normal kimono the little reaper wore a rusty yellow sweatshirt, a red skirt and calf-high socks minus the shoes.

"Hello, there boys," Botan greeted happily with bright violet eyes. "What seems to be the problem?"

"This girl; Kagome, is being chased by demons, there's at least 20 of them out there waiting to get their hands on her," Yusuke growled lowly.

"Oh, my! Do you know why?"

"I haven't asked,"

"Yeah she looked pretty beaten up, Shizuru is helping her,"

"Oh dear, if she's from the area we cleaned up that demon from we might be in a bit of trouble,"

"What do you mean?"

"For the past year, _Reikai_ had been monitoring a continuously growing rekai, whenever we were close to pinpointing its location it would disappear for weeks without a trace. It just appeared in the last hour,"

"What are you getting at?" Yusuke's eyes narrowed.

"She might be the source of that rekai,"

Jumping to his feet fiery eyes stared her down. "We're not just going to hand her over!"

"But it might be safer for her,"

"No! Sorry if I say I don't trust Rekai,"

"Why are getting so defensive Urameshi?"

Looking away and plopping down on the bed he grumbled. "She's an old friend,"

"Friend?" Botan asked with a raised brow. "I wasn't aware you had any,"

"Shut up!" He growled. Several minutes past, Yusuke lost in thought while the two in the room wondered at what to say next.

~*o*~*.*~*.*~*o*~

Kagome stared at the girl's back, everything was happening so fast, and her fear had yet to simmer, in fact, it was growing. She hadn't a clue who these people were or what to expect if not the worst possible outcome: the jewel stolen and her dead.

"Sorry about that. My name's Shizuru, you already met my brother," she had turned to her as they stopped at a door. "I get that your scared, and you probably have every right to be, but you're safe here. Yusuke and Kazuma will make sure nothing happens to you,"

She bowed her head in shame. They were helping her, yet she was so fearful of the worst she forgot to even give them a reasonable chance.

"Go ahead and shower and I'll help yeah get bandaged up and some clean clothes," Kagome nodded. "There's already clean towels in there,"

Waking in and closing the door behind her with a snap of the lock Kagome leaned on the door. She wanted to cry but pushed thoughts of the battle away in order to clean herself of the blood that clung to her hair and skin.

Against her will, dazed eyes focused on the red of the water as it spiraled around the drain. Through the roar of the water, she could make out the sound of clashing swords and cries of war. Blood splattered grassy fields layered her mind as she watched again as bodies fell limply upon it, shrill screams echoing the pain coursing through dying bodies. They were then used as puppets, an endless stream of death washing over her vision until the water ran clean.

~o.O~O.o~

 **wolfYLady _: Hope you all are enjoying the story and look forward to your reviews; they always make me happy and quicker to write up the next chapters._**


	3. Let Me Protect You

**Chapter 3**

"Excuse me," turning Yusuke looked up to see Kagome standing nervously in the doorway. Her sapphire eyes finding his own and his heart tightened. She looked so frail and broken, so unlike the happy girl who lived in his memories. He yearned for a smile, and even the friendship she had once offered him so freely. Years had passed them, and they were bound to change, but he wanted her in his life, he always had.

"Feeling better Kagome?" He asked. Band-Aids and bandages littered her limbs. A gray sweater with rolled sleeves showed a wrapped right wrist, and left forearm, a pair of blue cotton shorts showed a wrapped left thigh and right ankle as well as the left knee, the other knee covered by a Band-Aid. She looked almost as bad as him after a fight.

"Not really," her eyes grew misty, but she shook her head the wet hair falling down her back. "But now's not the time,"

He sighed, again, for what may have been the hundredth time today. She might not want to talk about it, but they needed to know, no he needed to know so he could protect her. It was the least he could do, he owed it to her, he'd hadn't been able to protect her for the last several years, but he could protect her now better than he ever could."Why are you being chased by demons?"

She flinched gripping the marble hanging from her necklace. "I-" her voice cracked. "I can't say,"

"How can I protect you if you won't tell me?"

Her eyes narrowed heatedly. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"Damn your pretty cute when you're mad," Kuwabara laughed causing the two to glare at him.

Punching him, Yusuke fought the urge to smirk as the taller boy yelped. Rubbing his arm, a scowl took shape on his face; his gray eyes narrowed at Yusuke who had turned his attention to the girl.

"Please," Kagome looked down into the violet eyes of a blue-haired girl she had yet to meet. "We only want to help,"

Biting her lip, she worried the flesh in what Yusuke would have called cute if he wasn't worried about her life. "They're after this," she opened her hand allowing him to actually look at the sphere of white and pink. He had felt power from her, a mass of rekai that coiled around her but there was something different as he focused. A spark of darkness that called out; whispering a promise of power, darkness, and finally death. But he couldn't feel anything that said she had any powers.

"Some marble?" He asked.

"Can't you feel it Urameshi?" Kuwabara shivered.

"It don't feel right,"

"It's powerful,"

"Yes," Kagome interrupted. "And I have to protect it till I can find a way to ensure evil can't use its power ever again," tears once more misted her eyes, her clenched hands trembling at her side. "This jewel has the power to make demons power multiple ten times what it currently is, and if they were to make a wish the world would be at stake,"

"Okay. We'll just have to find a way to get rid of it,"

She looked at him wide-eyed having expected him to not believe her.

"How do we do that?"

"I need to make a pure wish," she whispered.

"That should be easy," Yusuke beamed looking over at Kuwabara who still stared at the jewel.

She snorted with a huff dry of any humor. "In theory, but every wish is tainted by some form of selfishness. A purely selfless wish is near impossible. The jewel has its own agenda and if phrased wrong will use that wish to further its own desire,"

"How's that even possible?"

"It's a long story," Kagome sighed starting to feel the exhaustion of the past forty-eight hours.

"You can tell us now or later, but you will tell us," but what he really meant was _me_. So much time had passed them and yet they had found themselves caught up in a world in which stories with demons and monsters from their childhood were real.

"Tomorrow? A lot-" she gave a sigh. "A lots happened today," she was rubbing her arm uncomfortably.

He nodded.

~o.O~O.o~

Sitting alone in what she was told was the guest room Kagome held her now ruined shirt. She cried silently while crushing the fabric with clenched hands, inaudible sobs rocking her shoulders.

They were gone, taken from her in a rush of colors before she was thrown from their time. It had become hers just as it was theirs, having abandoned her birth-time (not without getting her GED to appease her mother) she had taken action to dedicate herself to finding the jewel shards and becoming a worthy guardian.

Looking at the sailor shirt, she laughed bitterly. She'd taken to wearing hakamas and a shirt or a gi depending on which was cleaner and once they had been ruined she had turned to her bag to see the old school uniform folded neatly at the bottom. Adorning the old clothes, the group had been attacked by Naraku personally. With her having most of the jewel, and the half-demons **many** failed attempts, he had charged them with hordes of demons at his back and reincarnations to either side. The battle has been long, spanning a total of hour Kagome wasn't sure of. But it had been enough of time for Sesshomaru and Kouga to appear and fight alongside them.

The sun had set only to rise again and begin to set again when she had called forth the jewel's missing parts. Shards had ripped themselves from Naraku's chest and Kouga's legs. In his mix of horror and surprise Naraku had failed to focus on the threats in front of him, Sango threw her Hiraikotsu cutting him in half, then Inuyasha attacked with his wind scar, and finally, Miroku sucked the remains of Naraku's body into the wind-tunnel the half-demon had cursed his family with.

They had won, without Naraku the battlefield stilled, all eyes turning to the bright glow emitting from the Shikon jewel in which the battle had been fought for.

Drifting down into the palm of her hand, everything was still all that could be heard was the breeze. Her orginal wish unable to take breath as the world blurred, a stream of colors and cries of her name taking the place of the feudal era. Her body was thrown backward, the air forced from her lungs as her body was thrust back into a hard surface. Blinking she was greeted by the well house ceiling.

Whatever that force was, be it the jewel or fate or the gods, she was now stuck in her birth-time.

Now that the jewel was whole once more, Kagome felt weaker than she ever had. Even now the Shikon wasn't as pure and it should, or could be. She had surpassed Kikyo, keeping that jewel pure shouldn't be a problem, just as she should have been able to purify the demon when she touched him, and she couldn't feel the demons that she knew to be outside. Since the gem had come into her possession again, it was hard to use or even feel her powers, it was like something was blocking them.

Angry eyes turned to the innocent looking gem. The only thing to change was the gem. She had become strong to protect it, and now it was looking to weaken her to avoid disappearing.

Growling, angry tears mixed with the one she shed for her family and friends who she would never see again. Shippo maybe but she would miss out on him growing up and becoming the great demon he promised to become.

"Hey," tearful eyes turned in surprise to see Yusuke but she then quickly looked away wiping at her tears. She didn't want him to see her cry.

"What do you want?" she didn't mean for it to be so harsh, he'd saved her, but she wanted to be alone.

"Well I'm gonna stay in here," He leaned down beside her and proceed to pull out a daybed.

"Why?"

He looked up at her with a shrug before grabbing a pillow off the bed. "Best way to protect you since you can't sense the demons outside," Laying down the springs squeaking under him.

She sighed. "I could before. I was strong and capable, now I'm-" _nothing compared to Kikyo._ Kagome trailed off unable to voice what she was thinking.

"Don't," she looked over at him a raised eyebrow as her question while he looked up with soft brown eyes. "Whatever it is, don't blame yourself. We'll figure it out, so I don't want to hear you talking bad about yourself,"

She blinked in surprise. He rolled over.

"Get some sleep, we have a long day tomorrow,"

"Excuse me?"

"If you really are having problems with your rekai I know someone who can help,"

"Why are you helping me?" She knew she'd asked it before, he'd given her multiple excuses but nothing as to why he kept helping. He could have killed the demon and been done with it. He could have offered her to Reikai, wherever that was, but didn't. Now he was willing to continue to protect and assist her. It didn't make sense. Sure they were friends as kids but a decade had passed.

He turned, looking at her from over his shoulder. His brown eyes taking on a hard but sad look. "I have a promise to keep," rolling over he continued. "Now get some sleep,"

 _Blue eyes widened fearfully. The boy towered over her, beady eyes staring her down with a sneer in place. To either side of him stood a mix of boys and girls, each having their own glare or cocky smirk. For whatever reason, they didn't like her, and they made a point to tell her._

 _Tears brimmed her eyes. Her mama was on the other side of the park and with no one to help her she almost cried. They were too big, she couldn't fight them, all she could do is hope they wouldn't hurt her._

" _No one here to protect you now!" The boy fisted his hand eyeing his fist with a grin before turning eyes upwards to her face._

 _Her hope was shattered, he was going to hit her, and then they all would hurt her. With eyes pinched tight and hands clasped tight she held out for her last bit of hope: it wouldn't be too painful._

 _Nothing but an eerie silence filled the now deathly still air._

 _Chancing a glance at her_ _slow_ _attacker once fearful eyes widened in a mix of surprise and horror. Head forced to the side heat blazed in the once soft chocolate of his eyes. He looked at her that same softness flashing before he turned back to the group. She could practically see him grinning at the sweet tone added to his voice, he was excited. "My turn,"_

 _He didn't flinch when the taller boy laughed, even if a little nervous sounding. "I'm not afraid of you pipsqueak!"_

" _You should be," without giving the boy a chance, Yusuke pounced. Punching him in the jaw, the boy fell, and Yusuke followed, hitting him two more times before standing walking back to Kagome."No one's gonna lay a hand on Kagome, ya hear!?" with quick nods the rest ran, only one helping the boy up._

 _Looking back their eyes met a large bruise beginning to form under his left eye. Tears sprang forth at the sight pushing Kagome to fling herself at the boy._

" _K-Kagome," Blush flared across his cheeks. She hugged him tightly, face buried in the nap of his neck._

" _Don't do that again," she sniffled. "I don't want you getting hurt over me,"_

 _A soft smile pulled at his lips as he hugged her back. "Sorry I can't do that,"_

 _She jumped looking at him with narrowed eyes._

" _It's my job you protect you, now and forever," he promised with a cheeky smile._

 _A teary smile took shape before she leaned forward kissing his bruised cheek and hugging him tightly. "I love you Yusuke,"_

 _Blush flared out across his cheeks and down his neck till his ears were flaming red. "I-I love y-you too Kagome," he mumbled in a rush before hugging her just as fiercely. He would protect her, no matter what it took, there wasn't a thing he couldn't face to protect her._

 ** _~o.O~O.o~_**

 **wolfYLady: _And there you are chapter 3. In all honesty, I wanted to post all three chapters together as one but thought I would spread it out as I don't normally post 4000 worded chapters. Sorry but I am a bit lazy with the length of chapters. Now a thank you to everyone who reviewed. I had thought about messaging everyone who reviewed but this is easier as I get lost sometimes or my email it just really slow._**

 ** _Thank you..._**

 **MidnightReader1** : I'm glad you liked the last chapter, hope you liked this one just as much.

 **The Blue Insanity 8500** : Thank you! ;)

 **Prince2527** : Glad that you are liking it so much

 **CallaRose4ever** : I know that jumping into a fandom crossover is hard because there is a lot of different rules of that universe. But if you like punks turned hero who deals with dying and demons then Yu Yu Hakusho might be up your alley.

 **tailandbeauty** Your reviews have been absolutely delightful! I'm so happy that you are enjoying the story and hope you continue to do so. I hope this clears up any misunderstanding I might have missed or didn't explain all that well in the previous chapter.

 **Stargazer013:** I am surprised that you were able to guess the next character I plan to add into the story. You must be a mind reader! ;)

 **MoonGoddess00:** I am sorry you were disappointed in how I had them meet again but to tell you the truth I was given a prompt by a friend (Accidental meeting) and that scene is what I pictured, and I loved the idea so much that once provided the second prompt (Childhood friends) the story made itself.


	4. Backstories Upon Backstories

**_Chapter 4_**

Morning came quickly, too quickly. And with the sunrise came her sitting at their dining table, breakfast sitting in front of them, and although the food had been served, everyone looked to her. The tension almost causing her to stop in her mission to fill the intense hunger caused from two days without food.

"You sure can eat," Kuwabara laughed.

Angry eyes found his face in a deep glare. Kagome was still tired, she wasn't much of a morning person, to begin with, but her sleep and food deprived state made her ten times more hostile. "No shit," she growled, much like a demon, startling the two boys but making the woman smirk. "I haven't slept or eatin' in days,"

There was a soft ' _twoorp'_ to his head by Shizuru hitting him. "Leave her alone; she's got enough to deal with,"

An embarrassed blush rose to the male's cheeks, his eyes sliding to the side catching a glimpse of the bandage on her arm that has nearly bled through.

"What happened?" Yusuke started his eyes switching from his food to her.

She sighed heavily; it was such a _long_ story. "It's a long story,"

"I'm listening," he had turned to her, his hand supporting his head as he leaned on the table.

Kagome sighed again. "To get to my story, you need to know how this jewel came to be, and how it came to be mine to protect," she took a deep breath before starting.

"Almost two thousand years ago lived a strong miko named Midoriko. She was feared by demons throughout the land as her ability to purify demons to their entirety hadn't been seen before. With a sweep of her sword, she could purify over a hundred demons. There were those that feared and hated her so indefinitely that they conspired to kill her.

"A man, who had lusted after Midoriko for years and whose advances she turned down numerous times, turned to sacrifice his soul in the hope of obtaining her favor and love.

"But those that answered his desperate plea, although promising to give him Midoriko's heart, only wanted her dead. His body was overcome by hundreds of demons who hated and feared Midoriko, eating at his soul and using his body to become that of a stronger demon; a dragon demon that's sole desire was to destroy Midoriko and feast upon her heart.

"He attacked her. Their battle rocked the landscape and set fire to the village Midoriko had protected. After seven days and nights of fierce battle, Midoriko took in the demon's soul and forced out her own soul in a last attempt to purify the demon. Their souls combined within and what was forced from her body was The Shikon No Taka. _Naohi_ or the purity of the jewel is Midoriko's soul. Magatsuhi is the evil in the jewel created from the demons' souls. These two are to forever be at war unless the jewel is destroyed,"

They were quiet as she took a drink of her tea, taking a moment to compose herself before continuing with Inuyasha and Kikyo's story, before telling hers.

The story fell from her lips in a matter-of-fact way lacking the compassion she had shared when talking about Midoriko. "Five-hundred-fifty years ago the Shikon had been entrusted to a miko, Kikyo, who had an outstanding ability to purify, just as Midoriko had, and was able to suppress the evil in the jewel. Kikyo protected the jewel from all demons, killing them before they even had the opportunity to look at it. She killed all but one, a half inu-demon by the name Inuyasha.

"He tried many times to get the jewel and every time she stopped him without killing him. Time passed, and he stopped going after the jewel. Instead, he now assisted Kikyo in disposing of the demons that attacked her. He gave up his desire to become a full demon and fell in love with Kikyo, and she him,"

"Their time together would be short," Kagome's head fell forward as she took to looking at her food in a daze. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest, the image of her beloved puppy eared inu overlapping her mind's eye. She loved him, through everything: the hurtful words and betrayal of his actions, but he couldn't see her as Kagome only Kikyo. Any compassion came to her out of guilt and devotion to Kikyo.

"Kikyo had taken to caring for a bandit named Onigumo, a man whose entire body had been burned leaving him in agonizing pain and unable to move. Under her care, the man came to love her in his own way, and Onigumo offered his soul to demons. His desire to be with her was turned into a desire to possess and destroy her. His new form was that of Naraku a half spider-demon with a human heart.

"Learning of Kikyo's love for Inuyasha, Naraku became jealous and sawt to destroy them both and take the Shikon instead.

"Kikyo had tired of being a miko and desired the life of an ordinary woman. Wanting to be rid of the cursed jewel, and her duty to it, she convinced Inuyasha that the only way they could be together was for him to wish to become human, that the wish would be selfless and the jewel would be gone forever.

"Naraku learned of their plan and quickly formed a plan in turn, which would corrupt the jewel, making it " _beautifully malicious in color_." Unknown to the two he first disguised himself as Kikyo, fooling Inuyasha, and then Inuyasha, fooling Kikyo who he attacked. Now suspicious and having thought they were betrayed by the other, Inuyasha went after the jewel for his original wish to become a full demon and Kikyo, wounded by a disguise Naraku as Inuyasha, went after Inuyasha.

"Kikyo was able to pin him to a tree with her sacred arrow, too weak to kill him. He was left pinned to a sacred tree in what everyone thought as a curse of eternal sleep. Kikyo on the other hand died of her wounds and had the Shikon burned with her body in hope to prevent it from getting into the hands of evil,"

She sighed heavily; their story was always so complicated.

A snort made her look up at Yusuke. "I guess they didn't really love each other," Kazuma and Shizuru nodded in agreement.

"She was willing to change him for her own selfish reasons. If anything that Kik-yo sounds like she was playing the guy and if Inu-whatever was really a half-demon couldn't he have smelled it wasn't her? Demons, even half ones, normally have a good sense of smell,"

Kagome stared at him for a moment before a bitter laugh erupted in her throat. How many times had she not thought the same thing? Before they knew of Naraku, she had felt bad for Inuyasha, that he was the one who had been betrayed. After finding out about Naraku, she had only been left with questions and doubt.

"You'd think so wouldn't you?" She huffed dryly.

"How does any of this have to do with you?"

She felt ten years older with the simple question. Running her hands through her hair before sighing, "I'm getting to that, my stories just as complicated as theirs,"

"More complicated than the bad love triangle?" Shizuru asked making Kagome smile, even if it was slightly bitter looking.

She shook her head "Sadly,"

Her attention was drawn to her half-eaten breakfast and then the owner of the hand pushing it closer to her. "Finish your breakfast first; we'll talk after," Yusuke encouraged before digging into his.

All too happy to oblige Kagome went back to eating.

After eating Kagome was left once more to finish her outrageous tale of time-travel, magic, and war.

"Almost a year ago, on my 15th birthday, I was pulled down a well on my families shrine by the demon Mistress Centipede-" the story carried on for what felt like hours, and maybe it did. Some moments, like a misplaced kiss or two, as well as times she wished to forget. She told of her companions, her love for them, and their strength that she so admired. Everything that she could or thought to mention she did, her training and abandonment of her birth time, all the way up to the final battle.

"We had just decided to set up camp when Naraku appeared.

"There were hundreds of lesser demons to his back and all his incarnation to either side of us. Whatever sprung his urgency to attack us head-on, wore down on us throughout the night. The lesser demons were overwhelming, and whenever any were struck down, they were resurrected as _zombies_ by Kagura's magic.

"It was only within the early morning that Kouga and his warrior wolf demons jumped into battle alongside us. And it was only when the sun rose that Inuyasha's brother; Sesshomaru, joined the battle.

"A day later, the battle for the jewel ended. In the final minutes, Midoriko's spirit spoke to me, pleading and explaining how to call forth the other half of the Shikon. When I got the jewel back into my possession, purifying what malicious I could; I was forced back into my time. I tried going back, but the well won't work for me," she summarized unwilling to go into great detail about the battle, her own head still reeling with the gruesome details. "I was then attacked, but Yusuke saved me, and now I'm here,"

"So who killed Naraku?" Yusuke asked.

A bittersweet smile pulled on her lips. "I witnessed my group join attacks and kill him," Now that was something she was happy to see, everyone had been able to avenge their loved ones, and in turn had achieved their deserved happy endings. Everyone but her that is, but did she even deserve one?

She was pulled from her thought by a hand squeezing hers. Looking, she saw his tanned hand gripping hers his thumb rubbing the back of her hand, the small show of comfort nearly had her in tears. She felt so alone without the others; they had become her family and world over a year spent battling Naraku. Miroku and Sango were her brother and sister, Shippo, her son and she'd loved Inuyasha. It wasn't fair.

A tear ran down her cheek before she could stop it, several more following to roll down her cheeks. Strong arms enveloped her, pulling her to a warm chest where she continued to cry, a hand caressing her hair while the other held her around the waist.

"I feel so weak," Kagome whispered brokenly. Her hands gripping his shirt at her admission. Her powers were an extension of herself, like her leg, without them nothing felt right, she felt frail and useless.

Yusuke kept petting her hair. "We'll figure it out," he wasn't going to abandon her again, he'd be by her side no matter what.

Kazuma stared in wonder. It all sounded absurd, but not, after all, they fought demons on a daily basis and did things thought to be impossible: hell he could conjure a sword made out of spiritual energy. So as bizarre as her tale was, he couldn't say it was impossible, her wounds along with the physical Shikon being evidence of Kagome's past.

But the weirdest part was how much care Yusuke took in handling the girl. He'd only ever witnessed the gruff, and vulgarness that Yusuke exuded, even with Keiko the other teen had been rough, but here he was cuddling Kagome, whispering gently into her hair much like a lover. His deep-set frown and sad eyes told of a level of care Kazuma had only seen when the boy thought Genkai dead, yet even then it hadn't told of such care only empty loose.

Yusuke had said the two were childhood friends, yet he'd never seen the girl or heard the boy speak of her. If Keiko had known or saw this, she would have flown into a jealous rage for they looked like more than friends.

 **wolfYLady:** _ **I know it was a pretty uneventful chapter but don't worry the two are only going to be getting closer.**_

 _ **And a SPECIAL THANK YOU to those who reviewed the last chapter:**_

UnicornEva, Mandelorian, S-chan08, o0-SilverMoon-0o, slvrphoenx: **Thank you I am so excited that you all are enjoying the story so far.**

WithLoveSammiV: **To me, although its a slower build up to any romantic between the two, it seems more meaningful for Kagome and Yusuke to become closer and grow together.**

MidnightReader1: **I got inspired to use the tama from having watched the final act. The jewel wouldn't want to be wished away as it had already "suffered" with Kikyo burning it with her body.**

tailandbeauty: **Your reviews are absolutely delightful to read. And I understand about college, its hard to find anytime in which you aren't studying. I do hope to have more flashbacks between them soon; this chapter was already longer than I wanted it.**

fredisagirl: **I do have plans for the adorable kitsune so don't worry.**

fallingyuki: **Thank you, I love writing the flashbacks between the two and building what their brief childhood together was like. Sorry, this one didn't have one, but the chapter was too long.**

daisynaruto909: **I feel honored that you enjoyed it that much. :') I've cried writing some parts, and I really try to bring that level of emotion to my stories.**

CallaRose4ever: **I also hope to be able to finish this story and am glad that you are still reading it and hope you enjoy Yu Yu Hakusho if you get into it.**

Stargazer013: **I how that this chapter was able to answer all of your questions and yes you guessed right, but it may not be for another chapter or two as I am trying to limit the length of the chapters to make it easier on myself to update as consistently as possible.**


	5. Another Story

**Chapter 5**

 **A/N: Spoilers in this Chapter just as in the last.**

"I didn't expect you to believe me," Kagome whispered, pulling away to wipe at her tears, a small shade of pink staining her cheeks.

"My own story is just as weird, hell, I've died and come back to life. At this point anything is possible," Yusuke grinned missing the horror that spilled across Kagome's face.

"What?!"

"Oh yeah we've had some really weird adventures," Kuwabara interjected, with a prideful grin. "I've even saved Urameshi,"

"Oh yeah right!" Yusuke yelled throwing the taller boy a dirty look. "Most of the time I'm saving your sorry ass!"

"Bring it! I'll beat ya into the ground!" Kuwabara stood with Yusuke doing the same.

"I'd like to see you try!" he lunged tackling the boy to the ground, the two beginning to throw punches.

"Stop it! Not in the house!" Shizuru half yelled with a sigh.

A laugh erupted in Kagome's chest. The room going silent with Yusuke looking up from above Kuwabara to look at her. As cliche, or girly, as it may sound Yusuke froze at the sound, his pulse quickening and heart aching at the joy that illuminated through her depressed haze. Kagome beamed, sapphire eyes glittering and cheeks brightening, her laughter dancing in the air. Perhaps he had romanticized their brief friendship as children or dramatized the countless scenarios he pictured of finding her again, and as embarrassing as it would seem coming from a punk like him; her happiness truly meant the world to him, he'd fight to protect such a beautiful and precious thing.

"You two must be good friends," she sighed, her laughter softening to form a smile on her face.

"They're practically brothers," Shizuru interjected with a snort making Kagome giggle.

"They sure act like it,"

"Like I could be related to someone with a mug like that," Yusuke teased.

"Urameshi-" Kuwabara started.

"Kazuma's rather handsome actually," Kagome mussed, a light shade of pink coloring her nose while she picked at her fruit oblivious to the boys staring at her.

Red colored Kuwabara's face, a goofy grin in place and rubbing his neck nervouly. "Thanks, _Kagome_ ~."

Yusuke, on the other hand, was seething with jealousy, wanting to growl at and beat the man next to him. Primal and possessive feelings bloomed in his chest, and at the same time, he felt insignificant and unwanted, that Kagome was rejecting him.

"Whatever," pushing himself up, and deciding to push away those feelings, Yusuke went back to his seat next to Kagome.

"You know what happened to me, but what about you?" Kagome asked.

Scratching his head, Yusuke sighed heavily.

"So it kinda started when I saved a kid from getting hit by a car when I was fourteen. It turns out the kid would have been okay without me having stepped in, but either way I ended up being the one hit and died almost upon impact.

"I then met Botan, the girl with blue hair you met yesterday, she's known as a reaper,"

"As in the grim reaper?" Kagome beamed with interest.

He nodded with a chuckle. "Because of my selfless action, Reikai gave me a second chance at life,"

"Sorry to interrupt but what's Reikai? You talked about it earlier, and not wanting to take me there,"

He sighed heavily before opening his mouth to answer but a cheery voice cut in.

"Reikai is known as the Spirit World where those who are neither demon or living reside and assist in the placement of the souls of the dead," looking back it was the girl, now known as Botan, with coral blue hair. Her violet eyes were brimming with cheer. Unlike yesterday she was dressed in a pastel pink kimono, the attire oddly complimenting her unnatural hair. "As a reaper, I am one of the few souls given a second chance to live to help souls in their placement till reincarnation can occur,"

"Oh,"

"I work under King Enma and Prince Koenma who Yusuke currently works for,"

"Works for?" Kagome questioned, getting more and more confused as the woman spoke.

"Sorry, seems I was getting ahead of myself," Botan laughed.

"As I was saying!" Yusuke growled before continuing with his story, of course, Botan and the others would interrupt with their "commentary." He talked about everything, meeting Kurama and Hiei- both of whom Kagome was interested in meeting, what he endured when facing the Four Great Beast, training with Grandma Genkai, The Toguro Brothers, and finally the Dark Tournament which had happened half a year ago. Now at almost sixteen, he made ends meet by working as a foot soldier for Reikai, mostly Koenma.

For some reason he was reluctant to mention Keiko, sure she was important to him, she called him her boyfriend, and he cared for her, but he didn't love her as she desired. Keiko deserved better than a relationship out of _convenience_ , she wanted him in school and working a **_real_** job as she put it, they were too different, he just didn't know what to do about their "relationship."

"Wow- just wow," she laughed nervously. "We've lived some interesting lives to this point,"

"We sure have," he grinned happily.

Botan eyed the two in suspicion. The care they held for one another seemed to grow by the second, Yusuke already looking excessively protective when it involved the girl. As a reaper, Botan shouldn't be overly involved with the living, but Botan kept thinking of Keiko and the girl's love for Yusuke. Keiko and Yusuke were far from a suited pair, but she couldn't stand to see the girl hurt, sadly that might be unavoidable.

' _Oh, dear,'_

"I see you still wear green," there was a smile in her voice that brought on his own cocky grin. A finger pointing to the well worn green shirt and even darker green jacket he'd decided to pair with his pale jeans.

"Of course it's my color after all," he teased with a wink.

 ** _~*o*~*o*~*o*~_**

 _Yusuke bounced up the stairs after having escaped the apartment. His dad had just arrived home; the taller man had stared hard at him before growling low from him to get lost; that 'Daddy needed alone time with Mommy', whatever it was about Yusuke was all too happy to escape to the park to see Kagome._

 _The playground wasn't all that busy, several other kids already playing but he was searching for someone in particular._

" _Yusuke!" her voice his only warning before her body hit his. Kagome's arms wrapping around his neck, her cheek pressed against his. "I've missed you soo much!"_

 _He grinned, he'd missed her too. The days he spent away from her were always dull, and he found himself thinking about her more times than not._

" _You should wear green more," she beamed while pulling away._

" _Why?" looking down he saw the light green shirt and dark green pants he'd picked this morning._

" _You look cute in it,"_

 _Blush spread across his cheeks and all the way to his ears. "Th-Thanks,"_

" _Yusuke," he looked to see she had pink on her face. "When we're not together, will you think of me?"_

 _They were both quiet, and both just as red._

 _Clearing his throat, Yusuke was unable to look at her. "Whenever I wear green," he promised in a small voice._

" _I'm glad," looking back he saw her smiling a smile that was all his, and he cherished her gift._

 **wolfylady** : _Another chapter. I have to say I was a little sad with the number of reviews from the last chapter. When a story starts to get less and less reviews per chapter I start to update slower and slower for that story, as your (the readers) reviews are what will keep me writing the story._

 **So please review, it means another chapter sooner rather than later.**


	6. See me

_**Chapter 6**_

 _Laughter filled the small campsite, the flames of a small fire illuminating the smiling faces of the adults in the group. Shippo danced around, magical fire jumping from his fingers to create various illusions. The little kitsune had taken it upon himself to entertain the others as tensions had been growing. There had been little to no progress with the jewel as what Kagome didn't have of the gem, Naraku did._

 _It had been a hard day for them, they had heard of a rumor of an ominous fog that killed anyone, or thing, that it passed over, several villages had been destroyed because of it. Of course, the group had been able to figure that it was Naraku's miasma that caused the plague and when coming across the villages Kagome and Miroku took to cleansing the poison that still hung in the air. And without Naraku there the group went about putting the dead to rest and taking what supplies they may need._

 _It was stressful always being so close but never within reach of killing Naraku._

" _You've really improved," Kagome beamed at the kit coming to sit in her lap. Slim fingers combed through his gleaming copper hair, his emerald colored eyes closing before he purred contently._

 _Her smile fell, her body stiffening before sapphire eye swept the area. Darkness pulled at her soul, the same kind which pulsed against her aura. A tainted part of the jewel was close, and coming closer by the second. Such a level of darkness radiating from the jewel meant only one thing._

" _Naraku is heading this way!" Kagome shrieked. "And he has his part of the jewel!"_

 _Everyone jumped to their feet, each moving back to back with their weapons in hand._

" _Which way is he coming?" Inuyasha demanded, his dark gold eyes searching the treeline, his ears swiveling at any noise._

" _I don't know! It's too tainted for me to tell," Kagome yelled back, panic evident in her voice. With an arrow notched, she stood tense._

" _We must be ready for anything," Miroku whispered, the sound of his prayer beads moving alongside the chime of his **khakkhara**_ *.

" _We'll end it here," Sango hissed, Kirara roaring at her side as she transformed in a mass of fire._

" _Agreed," Inuyasha smirked._

 _Kagome's eyes looked down for a second to see Shippo trembling beside her. "Shippo stay close to one of us at all times," he looked back and nodded, taking a step that much closer to her._

 _The pulse surged pulling Kagome's eyes up. "He's attacking from above!" She yelled forcing her companions to follow._

 _Any light from the moon had given was stolen as a large mass of black overtook the sky. Glowing eyes of red peered through the mass of demons closing in on them._

" _I've come for the other half of the jewel!" Naraku chuckled above the crowd. On either side stood his children: Kagura and Kanna, along with several others in which Kagome wasn't sure they'd seen before._

" _Never," Kagome hissed._

" _So be it," he laughed before everyone around him soared towards them._

 _Inuyasha jumped in front his sword raised over his head before bringing it down in a slash. "_ ** _Kaze no Kizu!_** _The attack jumped from his sword in three golden pillars of light, cutting through the hoard of demons._

 _Following behind was Miroku, his left arm outstretched while supporting it with his right. "_ ** _Kazaana_** _!," he yelled preparing those behind him, and himself, as the black void of wind opened and began sucking up the dead and still living demons._

 _Several large demon bugs flew into the void making Miroku cry out in pain. It seems Naraku had released the Saimyosho as well. Quickly wrapping it, Kagome was at his side a blue glowing illuminating her hands as she pressed them to his back. Forcing the energy of her miko-ki out and into Miroku, the miko-ki quickly purified the poison._

" _Thank you," Miroku panted._

" _Don't do that unless you have to," Kagome insisted. A roaring demon was now charging them. In a second Kagome fired an arrow, the more modern looking and all metal arrow, being able to conduct and handle more of her miko-ki, soared straight through the demon and several others before striking the ground to release a small burst of miko-ki. The arrows were far more capable and lasted a lot longer with Tōtōsai having made them specifically for her, and of course with them being "magic" they always returned to their quiver._

 _A cry of "_ ** _Hiraikotsu_** _!*." Had the miko and monk turning in time to see an approaching demon be torn in half. The demon's blood coming to splattering across them._

 _Staying close but still far enough to fight, the group moved closer and closer to where Naraku stood, his miasma flowing out from his baboon belt to kill the foliage around them, the large demons already tearing through what trees were left of Inuyasha's previous attack with Tessaiga._

 _Bodies were already beginning to pile up, but none stayed down long, as with a sweep of her fan Kagura was using her dark magic;_ ** _Shikabane_** **_mai*_** _. Though she wasn't "reviving" as many as the group knew she could. Kagura wanted Naraku dead so she could live free but she needed to at least act as if she were trying or Naraku would kill the Wind youkai._

 _More demons rose from the ash. It was as if every time they were cut down two more came to take its place. And maybe it was as Naraku smirked evilly across the field._

 _Dodging an attack, Kagome rolled over the back of her opponent, purifying them as she charged an arrow and released it towards Naraku. Demons jumped in the arrows way, others charging at her. As long as she could purify the bodies they couldn't be used again or multiple._

" _Kagome!" Shippo screamed dragging her eyes to the side, panic quickly filling them, to see the small kitsune being cornered by three ogres._

" _Kagome!" Kagome turned back to see a demon in her face, his clawed hand raised to strike. "Kagome!"_

"Kagome!" Her body jerked at being touched, dazed sapphire eyes finding concerned brown staring back at her. "This is our stop,"

Looking around she was greeted by the site of the bus they had boarded several hours ago. With Yusuke grabbing her hand Kagome allowed him to move her, her mind still foggy.

Stepping off the bus, the two stood on the side of a wooded road that turned off into a gravel path, fog dancing among the tall trees. For a moment it was like she were back in the past, just another day to which she and her friends would search for jewel shards.

Gripping the straps of her backpack, full of clothes gifted to her by Shizuru this morning, Kagome tried to will down the memories that she currently swam in.

"It's a bit of a walk from here, but we'll be there in an hour,"

Kagome nodded, walking or hiking didn't bother her, she'd been doing that for days on end for months. Of course, they also were fighting demons at the time and using her connection with the jewel to track down shards.

They walked till coming to a broad set of stairs, far wider than those on her shrine and with an added several more flights of stairs. Yusuke sighed heavily in annoyance where she was already bouncing up the steps with a small giggle at his antics.

"I hate these stairs, just seeing them makes my body ache," he grumbled aloud.

"So this Genkai, she's the one who trained you?" Kagome mussed, thinking back to when he'd shared his story with her. The dark tournament having been a part of his last adventure and an adventure it was. They lived similar but different lives up to this point, of course, she hadn't died as he had.

"Grandma? Yea, she's pretty ruthless," looking back Kagome spotted a grin. The relationship they formed must have been close, it reminding her of Kaede. The older woman had become her teacher and grandmotherly figure, offering her advice and guidance with all subjects. If not for Kaede and Miroku she wouldn't have become as strong as she did, or in this case was.

Sad eyes turned to him. "Why haven't they attacked us yet?" Kagome knew they were there, even if she couldn't _see_ them the lure of the cursed gem would be enough for them to follow or investigate.

His eyes searched the area even though his senses told him they were near, they had almost doubled since leveling the city, and yet not a single one made themselves visible. Yusuke shrugged not wishing to worry her before bumping her shoulder with his. "It could be because I'm with you," he gently teased.

"Maybe," Kagome whispered. She hated this, the sheer fatigue and strain that consumed her at her countless attempts to call upon her miko-ki. What she could feel, and use, was barely enough to keep the gem around her neck purified.

"What bring you here dope? Didn't I beat you enough?" Came a gruff female voice from ahead.

Looking up Kagome spotted an aged woman nearly half a head shorter than herself. Graying hair fell in tangled waves to squared shoulders, lavender-brown eyes staring down at them boredly. Dressed in white and red fighting attire the woman looked too small to be a fighter but Kagome knew better than to judge from a person's appearance. Looking closer the woman was both at ease and tense, ready to spring into action at a seconds notice.

"Shut it, grandma, _we_ came from your help," he growled out to the woman once beside her. From the bits and pieces, Kagome had gotten from talking with Yusuke this woman had to be Genkai.

Now a step below them Kagome bowed deeply. "It's a pleasure to meet you Genkai-sama,"

"Another sweet girl? How do you do it boy?"

Kagome looked up ' _Another?'_ For a moment she was filled with anger, and it spilled into her words. "We're just friends," she wanted to take back the anger, it was misplaced. It's not like she was being used as a replacement or compared to a past lover, but still, she felt angry because she wanted so badly to be seen as herself: as Kagome, not a past lover or held to the standards of her ancestor.

"And a bit of a spitfire too," Genkai grinned before taking a drag off her cigarette. "Come on in and tell me about that _thing_ hanging around your neck," she instructed already having an idea of what it was and why they were here. The girl was powerful, and for whatever reason, there were seals blocking that power.

 **wolfYLady: There you go another chapter!**

 **Hope you enjoyed and please review!**

 _Kaze no Kizu: The Wind Scar_

 _Kazaana: Wind Tunnel_

 _Khakkhara: Monk/Buddha Staff_

 _Hiraikotsu: Flying-Return Bone_

 _Shikabane mai: Dance of the Dead/Corpse_


	7. He's an Idiot

**Chapter 7**

 ** _Warning_** **: There is talk of/mentioning of suicide in this chapter. I do not mean to offend anyone, I've been there myself and writing about it helps me. There is your warning**

Kagome sat down with Yusuke and Genkai and again divulged her life's story for the second time that day. The second telling was far worse than the first.

Try as she might, Kagome couldn't hide the flood of emotions that overtook her heart and mind. The more she spoke, the more she thought of the friends that were now centuries behind her. They were gone, and she was left alone to fight the world.

How did she go about finding out what happened to her friends? She needed to know they had lived fulfilled and happy lives, ones they all deserved. How could she live with herself knowing she felt them defenseless in the past? On top of that, she didn't know how to function without them by her side anymore. They were more than her friends; they were comrades in arms, and family.

She felt lost without them.

Where did Kagome go from here? As a semi-trained miko her powers were currently useless to her, and to top it off she couldn't even protect the cursed jewel! She was born its guardian, and yet it could only be the jewel that was affecting her in this way.

Yusuke could only watch and listen as this story was different. Her emotions were raw and intense, tears falling as she spoke, telling far more about the relationships she shared with her companions. The monk and slayer were her siblings, the neko a trusted companion, the kitsune her adored son, and the hanyou a wanting lover and dear friend.

As much as he hated it, Yusuke was jealous, but also angry. It was clear Kagome loved the idiot, but he'd hurt her, destroyed her psyche and esteem in a way that dashed any confidence she'd ever have in herself. The inu had a beautiful, living, woman and continuously chose a dead, weaker, lesser version of Kagome. How could someone turn away such blind and willing devotion?

Was he any different?

Keiko was a terrific and compassionate friend, she cared for him, maybe even loved him, but he couldn't bring himself to care for her in the same way. He wasn't good for her, he may not be smart like Kurama but he was smart enough, she wanted the ideal future with a _respectable_ husband, children and a home of her own. Yusuke couldn't give her all of that, the life he led was dangerous, and his safety wasn't guaranteed. If she chose to stay with him, it would only mean pain.

But at the same time, he never said he was her boyfriend, everyone simply assumed, he never promised her to be by her side. He protected her as a friend, after all, she was often in danger because of the connection she had to him. She had been his friend as a child after they moved, her family becoming close to his own, and Keiko would always hold a special place in his life, but only as a friend.

Kagome was different; she was his first friend, his best friend, the first one to see Yusuke, make him feel important and show that he was special even if it was only to her and to him that's all that mattered. The world could turn against him, but it didn't matter what anyone thought only what she thought.

So maybe they were different. He'd still need to talk with Keiko.

Genkai stared hard at the girl, having taken in all she had to say. It was an impressive story, one she believed, after all, the girl was the Legendary Shikon Miko. "What's your theory? A miko's powers don't just disappear,"

Kagome sighed looking down at her clenched hands. "I believe that whatever _thing_ forced me back _here_ affected my miko-ki. I think it's Magatsuhi's will that is blocking them, because the power I do have I'm focusing on the jewel, and it's taking everything to maintain its _purity,"_ she hissed out, the jewel could never be pure even with Midoriko's soul it was still an evil gem that manipulated holders and protectors so it wouldn't disappear.

"Why?" Genkai insisted. "What would Magatsuhi have to gain?"

Kagome looked at Yusuke, his brown eyes staring back at her with care and support. This man was doing everything to help her, and she had almost lost her chance of reconnecting with him because of her wish.

"I did have a pure wish but- it's impossible now," Kagome paused nervously, biting at her lip, her sapphire eyes slanted down avoiding Yusuke's concern gaze.

"I was going to give up my soul-" she couldn't finish as Yusuke roared in anger.

"You were going to kill yourself!? How in the hell is that selfless?"

A sad, yet angry smile pulled at her lips while meeting the anger that burned in his brown eyes. To many, it may seem she was selfish taking her life, but there was more to the story. But isn't there always more? Everyone was always ready to pin the person as a monster for hurting those around them, yet they were victims push to the brink by those same people trying to avoid the truth: they helped put them in that grave.

"It had nothing to do with me wanting to die." she looked down again, her eyes this time taking on their own heat and anger. She had thought of it, wanted to at one point, but she had everyone else to take care of, and this would have made Inuyasha happy: Kikyo's life returned. Everything she'd done, she'd done for him it seemed. "I was going to give up my soul, and body, so that someone else could live. It was going to be selfless as it went against everything I wanted and believe in! Inuyasha would finally have what he wants," tears gathered in her eyes as the words had turned venomous. Kikyo was all Inuyasha had ever wanted it seemed, he chased after her and praised her as if she were a goddess incapable of committing any wrong. Although she loved him through everything, he couldn't see her as Kagome, only Kikyo's reincarnation. At least this way, she'd finally be what he's always wanted. "He'd have _her_ ,"

" _He's_ an idiot,"

She could only stare at him unable to say anything for the lump that has formed in her throat.

"You were willing to give up _everything_ for the bastard," he growled. ' _And I would have missed out on finding you again,'_

In the back of his mind, Yusuke always thought that they would find each other, no matter where their lives ended he held out hope. And if Yusuke was truthful, the reason he'd known it was her when he saved her yesterday, was because as a ghost he'd visited her.

' _This sucks,' Yusuke grumbled to himself, He'd been dead about three days now, people he hadn't thought would notice were noticing his absence, and he was finally seeing how much other people actually cared. But his mind had gone to the one person no one had told, who wouldn't know he'd died._

 _Brown eyes slanted towards the park below. It was an older park but well-kept, with the play equipment having a fresh coat of paint in the last year or so and the numerous trees and grass were trimmed._

 _It looked just as he remembered._

 _Floating above, listening to the kids, Yusuke lost himself in memories from when he was a child. Looking back he remembered his piece-of-shit dad, the bastard only cared about women and alcohol, and when mad he took that anger out of his mom and him. His mom was far from being a saint, but she did her best to hide him from the abuse and keep it on her. The man had found something, or better yet, someone which led him to leave them, but without his father, his mom couldn't afford their current appartment and its what pulled him away from his dearest person_

' _Kagome,' his eyes grew sad, tears misting his chocolate colored orbs. 'I never got to say goodbye- or keep any of my promises,' looking now at his crossed legs he caressed the green colored fabric of his pants. This color, the color she loved to see him wear, was his constant reminder of his friend who's memory he carried in his heart. 'Well maybe one- I think of you, whenever I wear green,'_

 _Below bouncing up the steps was a brother and sister. The boy probably still in grade school from the backpack and lack of uniform. The girl was different, dressed in a school uniform, that was far more revealing than his own schools, the girl had to be around his age. The sailor style shirt was white and green with a red scarf, the short skirt that revealed much of her long legs was green._

 _A devious smile pulled at his lips as he floated down, thoughts of Kagome pushed to the side for now._

 _The two siblings were playing, kicking a soccer ball back and forth as the boy practiced._

 _He was close to peeking up the girl's skirt when she twirled around, the skirt flaring around her legs. Momentarily forgetting he was a ghost, Yusuke just back ready for the scream of "pervert" and a slap, but neither came._

 _Raven hair blocked her view for only a moment before the silky strands settled on her shoulders. Searching eyes of bright sapphire hit him, and for a moment he thought she was staring at him, but instead she was looking through him._

"Kagome?" _the boy asked, his own hazel eyes searching. "_ Sis is everything alright?"

 _Surprise washed over him. Could this be_ ** _his_** _Kagome?_

"It's nothing," _she shook her head flashing a bright smile down at the boy._ "I thought I felt we were being watched,"

"That's silly; we're the only ones here,"

 _She giggled._ "Or maybe its mama wondering where we are?"

' _This has to be her!' Yusuke all but screamed. She'd grown from the cute little girl that was his friend all those years ago into the beauty before him. The kindness that radiated from her was unmistakably her._

"Come on I'll help you practice at home, heaven knows the shrine has enough space,"

 _The boy huffed before nodding. "_ Alright,"

"Hey, maybe I can try convincing grandpa not to get me scrolls for my birthday coming up! Heaven knows how much mummified stuff we've fed to Buyo," _The two left laughing._

 _Intent on following Yusuke was stopped by a cheery voice behind him. "There you are Yusuke! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Botan nagged._

" _Oh, hi there Botan," Yusuke greeted nervously with a weak wave._

" _Now what in the world are you doing all the way out here?"_

" _Nothing, just couldn't stand seeing everyone all sad over me,"_

" _Did you give some thought about Koenma's offer?"_

 _Brown eyes trailed after Kagome, a flitter of hope blooming in his chest. If he could come back, he could see her again and apologize, and maybe gain back her friendship._

" _Yeah, I'll do it," as soon as it was said, Botan had Yusuke by the hand and was whisking him away to god knows where._

 **wolfYLady: There you are chapter 7. I love writing the flashbacks, but I think they'll be stopping soon. I know its so sad ?. But I think the time has a come for Yusuke and Kagome to get closer in the present** ** _*wink*wink*_**

 ** _Just a little reminder, the more reviews, the faster I update. The smaller the reviews, the slower I update._**


	8. Past Illusions

**_Chapter 8: Past Illusions_**

"He's an idiot _,"_

 _She could only stare at him, unable to say anything for the lump that formed in her throat._

"You were willing to give up everything for the bastard, _" he growled. 'And I would have missed out on finding you again,'_

 ** _~*~_**

"I'm sure you had your reasons Kagome," Genkai interrupted, knowing eyes switching from her apprentice to the disheveled girl. "But if your theory is correct you'll need to remove the Shikon,"

Kagome's hand shot to the gem around her neck. "If I do that, I'll be exposing the jewel to the world," she whispered, afraid that even her voice could disrupt the jewels temporary state. "And at this rate, not even my presence will affect it,"

"Then enjoy feeling as weak as you do now, for as long as you _cling_ to that _thing_ you'll never gain back your powers," Genkai jabbed.

Sapphire eyes widened, while Yusuke growled. It was fine for Genkai to be a bitch to him, hell he expected it, but Kagome didn't deserve it. Before he could come to Kagome defense, Kagome spoke.

"What do you suggest?" her head bowed in defeat.

Genkai grinned. " _Take it off,"_

This was ridiculous. Kagome shouldn't even be thinking about taking off the Shikon, to leave it out in the open to be taken, again, the jewel, or even another shard hunt in the future, would lead to World War 3.

But Genkai was wise, and if she recommended this, Kagome would have to trust her or risk the loss of her powers forever.

"I have a box we can seal it into," Genkai stated. "And it will be under my protection 24/7,"

Kagome nodded slowly. "Okay,"

"Don't worry so much kiddo, as long as it's here no demon can get to it," Genkai reassured before pulling forth a small wooden box that was covered entirely in sacred sutras and protective carvings.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Kagome reached back unclasping the chain holding the jewel. Falling into the palm of her free hand Kagome eyed the pink sphere, the energy within swirling excitedly, a spark of violet visible at its center. She blamed Naraku, having corrupted the jewel to such a point as he had was bound to affect the gem, only at full power could she hope to purify his darkness from the Shikon.

Dropping the gem upon the velvet cushion, once out of her hand, it flashed brightly, the pink color mixing with flashes of magenta and black. It was corrupted now, the hushed murmurs of its power, of its wants and desires, now screams against her mind.

'Death! Destruction! Pain! Freedom!" There was a sad maniacal laugh, it sounded like Naraku, his deep voice taking a cackling turn with an added feminine sultriness. Images of her and her friend's deaths flashed in her mind. A cold sweat overtook her now trembling frame.

' _The The world will burn if our power is not harnessed! You miko! You will die! You must die! You must be reborn, and we are to become-'_

Genkai snapped the box, and the voice was cut off.

Kagome's breath was leaving her lips in trembling pants, her teary eyes wide with terror.

"Kagome?" Yusuke asked.

There was no answer as miko-ki flared and settled against Kagome's skin. It pulsed around her, draping her in a blanket of glittering pink and silver. Fear scented the air and colored her aura; Yusuke could practically taste it.

"Kagome what's wrong?" His panicked eyes switching to Genkai. "Grandma?"

Trembling hands gripped her head.

She could see her kid brother, his blood seeping from a cut to his neck which he grabbed at, panic and pain distorting his face as he reached for her with a blood-soaked hand. Beside him lay the mangled limbs of their grandfather and mother, their glassy eyes and faces frozen in a cry of agony.

Next were her friends in the past. The first being Shippo, his small body covered in long slashes; he'd been tortured with Kirara at his side. Sango's body had been ripped open, her organs hanging from the teeth of a demon, Miroku only feet away as he was torn limb from limb. And then Inuyasha, his limp body held within the arms of her incarnation who grinned as she too gave into death.

They were only images, yet they felt so real.

The last death, the one that was her own, it was not an image so much as it was a feeling. The pain and fear radiated through her body she felt claws that weren't there ripping into her flesh and feel what seemed to be poison coursing through her veins like fire. In the image she could see Yusuke screaming for her, calling her name as he rushed to her side, his own body littered in heavily bleeding wounds but the sadness and tears he shed for her tore at her already aching heart.

"The jewel- it's going to kill me," her voice trembled on her lips, tears falling down her cheeks. " _I'm going to die_ ,"

Genkai looked just as surprised as her apprentice before her eyes hardened. It seems the girl was right, the jewel when out of her control wanted her destroyed, mentally and physically. She had felt a rush of dark magic take over the jewel, feel its intent towards the girl but it was neither evil or good, only the truth of what could happen if the girl didn't do what it wanted. But what did it want?

"What did it say Kagome?"

" ** _The world will burn if our power is not harnessed! You miko! You will die! You must die!_** " Kagome repeated, her eyes numbly wide. "I saw everyone die; it was my fault,"

 ** _~ 500 Years Ago~_**

Just as the Shikon had been born of blood and war, so to would it's destruction.

For many the days blurred together as they fought without rest; without yielding. This was a war long since overdue, from the moment of its creation the Shikon Jewel would not be obtained without being paid for in bloodshed. The siren song of its power called out to anyone willing to fight to obtain it, bringing more than just the two forces that were originally fighting over it.

On one side fought Kagome and Inuyasha with their misfit group consisting of all the enemies that Naraku had ever made. Fighting at their side were the Hōshi, taijiya and neko, but unlike all the times that Naraku had faced them they fought alongside; Sesshomaru -the new Lord of the Western Lands- and his army of trained youkai, and even Kouga -Prince of the Eastern Tribes- with the entirety of the ookami tribes.

Although Naraku's forces had held up for three days (as he'd been able to keep track), he knew his lesser demons, and army of the dead, were no match for the might of the forces pitted against them. But even so, Naraku refused to pull back, his desire for the jewel pushing him forward.

Bloody eyes narrowed heatedly, able to see through the eyes of his magically made puppet. He grew anxious, almost fearful that his poly would fail, and the jewel would fall from his hands into theirs.

Naraku growled lowly, his fingers skillfully twisting the puppet so that Kagome's arrows missed it. The damn little girl was now more powerful than Kikyo had ever been, making it increasingly hard to dodge the explosion of miko-ki that followed when her arrows made contact with an object. If this were just another simple puppet, Naraku wouldn't be so worried about her arrows, expect he was directly connected to this one as it carried his half of the Shikon in order to fool his enemies.

Another thing to bother him was that he couldn't exploit the girl's weakness anymore; the orphan fox tyke. Instead, the kitsune had been placed behind a barrier alongside Sesshomaru's ward and were being protected by a two-headed dragon ( _and an imp?_ ). Now he couldn't use the children as he originally intended against their caretakers.

Even the Hōshi and Taijya were harder to mislead. And without Kikyo, Inuyasha's focus was solely on destroying him.

 ** _Kikyo_** …

A flurry of fondness and fury filled his chest at the thought of the miko his human half loved so indefinitely.

 ** _I wish Kikyo were alive, here, and not Kagome_**. The thought races across the forefront of his mind, not realizing the significance of his wording. **_Then I could be done with both of them._**

The jewel heard his wish, and beamed mirthfully. It had never wanted to be separated from its host, on the contrary, it longed for her, pushing its shattered pieces to seek her out. It wanted her to be strong, needed her to be stronger, for their destinies were deeply intertwined.

The darkness gave way to the light, allowing what had been Midoriko's voice to surface in the shards Kagome had within her possession.' _The Shikon belongs to you, call its name with your power, call for it, call it home,'_

They would give Naraku his subconscious wish, but not sacrifice their host. Since its creation the jewel has existed with only one purpose, there were no souls within the Shikon, only energy- energy meant to be harnist. But it could not simply be gifted, no It had to be earned- deserved- by the one they had been destined to surrender too.

Kagome would be that person to subdue the legendary Shikon No Tama, and tame the power that was inherently hers by birth. Kikyo had done a moderate job overseeing the jewel, but she was not their perfect complement, not their destined other half, she had been a necessary step in obtaining a place in Kagome's side, literally, as a part of Kikyo's soul had created the young priestess who'd born the jewel into the world once more. What made Kagome so perfect for them was that she was a canvis of purity, pieced together by the kami to be able to absorb the jewels power, she was no one persons reincarnation: she was; _Kagome of the Shikon- the one of many souls._

A swirl of rekai encased her half of the Shikon, with her connection to the jewel Kagome willed her rekai around Naraku's piece through the small spark of purity that still remained in their malice colored depths. Happy to answer her magic's call, Naraku's part of the Shikon, learched forward, ripping itself from the spider's doll. The two glowing parts came together in a blinding show of power, the light consuming it and their host.

Naraku, stunned, watched as Kagome and that jewel disappeared, her companions not noticing as they attacked his puppet, destroying it.

Now seething, Naraku jumped from his place of hiding. Within the dirt, red eyes murderous. Already he could feel the power he had been using from the Shikon ebb away; if he didn't act quickly, he would die.

In the corner of his eye, a brilliant light appeared, flashing several times before vanishing to reveal a, living, but curious, Kikyo.

A mix of hatred and love blooming in his chest. It was her fault; it had always been her fault. Everything he did had been with her in mind, whether to obtain her or destroy her, Naraku had been created with the original desire to have her in some way. Whether it be in death or life, as long as it took for him to take her, Naraku would never be his own person as long as she existed in some way; just a shadow of Onigumo's desires.

" ** _I'll kill you_** ," the words ripped through his throat in a deranged scream.

With practiced ease, Kikyo had an arrow notched and released within a moment of his threat. It cut through the air, glowing with an eerie, magical hue of glittering white, weaving through the hordes of demons.

The metal head struck him, eyes wide as he looked at her. This couldn't be; he wasn't meant to die. As if in slow motion, his body bowed, forced backward by the sudden surge of rekai now coursing through his body.

He staggered to his feet, glaring at her. The strength of rekai leaving him wounded but not dead, he ripped the wooden weapon from his chest, snapping it before racing at her with his claws.

"It will be you who dies today," Two more arrows soared, piercing his chest with a sickening thud.

He roared, and stumbled forward further, more arrows flew at him in rapid succession, before he could no longer stand. His vision blurred as he fell at her feet.

In a voice that hadn't been his for a long time, he whispered, brokenly, with such longing and loving tones. " _Kikyo_ ," her name caressing his lips in a gentle goodbye as he looked up into her dark brown eyes.

There was an arrow to his head and then nothingness. Naraku, Onigumo, whatever name the creature had been called, was now no more. An air of silence filling the battlefield. The beast that had tortured and killed so many was dead, truly dead.

They were free.

Then Shippo asked in the silence, his voice quivering as he looked around the battlefield. " _Where's Kagome?"_

 _ **wolfYLady** : Sorry for the long wait but my life has been very hectic._ _Hope y'all enjoyed, and_ ** _please review!_**


	9. Family

Chapter 9

Yusuke watches Kagome cradle the phone to her ears, her rigid body trembling as it kept ringing before being answered on the last ring. She cried out, a loud broken sob ripped from her throat, crumbling to the floor, calling to her mother. On the other end he heard the stunned voice of who he imagined to be her family, each one calling her name with a surprised question.

"Mama, you need to leave!" She begged, shoulders trembling, and voice watery. "It's not safe!"

 _"We know- the city already came out and warned us about the gas leak. They're paying to have us stay in a hotel while they take care of it,"_

Kagome's brow furrowed, her tears slowing at her confusion and concern. "Who came out?"

" _He said his name was Hikatu? Hikasu? Oh! Here he is now, he said you called him,"_

There was the sound of movement before a masculine voice spoke, Yusuke's spine stiffening. " ** _Hey Kagome! Don't worry about your family we're taking care of everything,_** "

"Hakkaku!?" Yusuke's ears perked at the male name. "Wait! What are you doing there?! Is Ginta and Kouga there too?"

" ** _Hey Kagome!_** " Another male yelled from far away. She gave a happy grasp of ' _Ginta_ '.

His voice grew soft as he whispered. " ** _It's just us and a couple other members of the pack. When we felt the prescience of the Shikon we rushed over, but you weren't here, and there was so much blood,_** " there was worry and concern in the man's voice.

" ** _Are you alright?_** " The other male asked in an equally quiet voice. " ** _We followed your trail but only found a demon corpse, we would have tried tracking you further but we've been busy keeping the demons at bay here,"_**

Her body started shaking. "You've been protecting my family?"

The male spoke gently, with such care Yusuke almost growled. " ** _Of course, your our family, pack protects pack,"_**

She gave a teary smile, a watery laugh being his only response.

" ** _Where are you? We can help you,_** "

Kagome worried her lip, her eyes sliding over to Yusuke who quickly looked away, trying to seem indifferent despite the jealousy he currently felt.

"Are the others also with you?"

" ** _Yes_**!"

" ** _They're still out looking for you,_** "

"I'm safe, I'm currently staying at the Jīngshén Shrine. But please don't worry about me, just-" her voice broke. "-just keep my family safe for me, okay?"

The two spoke as one " ** _OF COURSE_**!"

"Can I talk to mama?" The phone was handed over with a muffled good-bye and then her mother was on the line.

"Hi mama," she sniffled with a weak smile. "I'm sorry I won't be home anytime soon,"

" _That's okay sweetie, just be safe. I might not know what's going on, but I have faith you'll do the right thing,"_

Kagome cradled the phone with a whimper, hugging it to her face as if she could hug the person on the other end.

" _I love you Kagome,_ "

"I love you too mama,"

" _Do what feels right,"_

She sniffled, a confident grin taking her face. "I will. I'll call you later,"

" _Okay sweetie, bye-bye,"_

"Bye," still smiling Kagome hung up the phone, and whipped at her teary face with the back of her sleeve.

"Feel better?" Yusuke asked.

She gave him a teary smile and nod. "Yes,"

"Good cause Grandma wants to start training, "

Her eyes widened. "Right now?! So soon?"

"Quit your whining girl!" Genkai interrupt. Stepping forward to leer down at the girl. "Why let a few flesh wounds stop you?! You want to stay weak forever?"

"No," Kagome growled back, cheeks heating and eyes narrowing.

"Good, that's the kind of attitude I like to see," she grinned before turning her back to the girl and eyeing her successor. "Don't just stand there, you have training to do to!"

"What!? Why me to?"

Genkai just kept walking, expecting the two to follow, and if they didn't she'd drag them. A smirk pulled at her lips, as big as the headache those two would surely give her later, the potential they both carried would be well worth the trouble.

"Don't just walk away from grandma! I ain't training! You hear me! " he yelled even as he marched after her angrily.

Kagome brought up the end with a gentle giggle.

* * *

Jīngshén: Meaning Psychic in Chinese. I couldn't, for the life of me, find what Genkai calls her shrine- if it even is a shrine. So if you know, please tell me in a review and I'll fix it.

* * *

 **wolfYLady** ** _: I was genuinely surprised when a reader guessed at Kouga and the wolves be introduced. (And you were close.) I hope to have everyone- and I mean EVERYONE- coming up in the next couple of chapters._**

 ** _I also wanted to say how sorry I for taking so long to post, sadly I've been really depressed making it difficult to write or even post chapters. If you are still reading thank you so much, it means a lot to me that there are people out there that still enjoy my writing._**

 **Thank you.**


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